For Immediate Release: April 13, 2021
Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement regarding the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine recommending a pause in its use out of an abundance of caution.
The Department of Public Health is notifying all Massachusetts providers to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, effective immediately.
“In response to today’s recommendation from the FDA and CDC to pause J&J vaccines due to an extremely rare condition reported in 6 individuals nationwide, the Department of Public Health directed all providers to immediately pause administration of the J&J vaccine until federal health experts investigate this matter. This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution as the FDA and CDC review these 6 cases, none of which are known to be linked to Massachusetts. The FDA has reported over 6.8M doses of J&J have been administered nationwide. Individuals who have received a J&J vaccine should contact their physician if they have concerns.” - Command Spokesperson
Background:
- The FDA has reported that as of April 12, 2021, 6.8m+ doses of the J&J vaccine have been administered in the U.S. CDC & FDA are reviewing data involving 6 reported U.S. cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in individuals after receiving the vaccine. Right now, these conditions appear to be extremely rare.
- As of April 12, 2021, 181,034 doses of J&J have been administered in Massachusetts.
- CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these.
- Individuals that have appointments scheduled for a J&J vaccine that have questions about their upcoming appointment should contact the provider they booked with directly.
- Individuals are encouraged to contact their physician if they have received the J&J vaccine and have concerns.